Professor —
Ph.D., 1985,
University of Texas at Austin

Professor; Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History

Contact

Biography

Dr. H. W. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. He attended Stanford University and studied history and mathematics. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching.

For nine years he taught mathematics and history in high school and community college. Meanwhile he resumed his formal education, earning graduate degrees in mathematics and history, concluding with a doctorate in history from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as an oral historian at the University of Texas Law School for a year, then became a visiting professor of history at Vanderbilt University. In 1987 he joined the history faculty at Texas A&M University, where he taught for seventeen years. In 2005 he returned to the University of Texas, where he holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History.

He has written twenty-five books, coauthored or edited five others, and published dozens of articles and scores of reviews. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, the Boston Globe, the Atlantic Monthly, the Smithsonian, the National Interest, the American Historical Review, the Journal of American History, the Political Science Quarterly, American History, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American and Traitor to His Class were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize. Several of his books have been bestsellers.

Brands is a member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Courses

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

38785 • Spring 2019
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM UTC 2.112A

The course covers American history from the end of the Civil War to the present. The basic themes are (1) the struggle to define the boundary between the public sector and the private sector in American life, or between democracy and capitalism; and (2) the striking fact that a nation that professes to love peace has so often gone to war.

Course objectives

The course has two primary objectives: (1) to make students more familiar with the major events and developments of American history since the Civil War, and (2) to help students learn to think like historians: that is, to imagine how the world looked to people in the past, to try to understand why they did what they did, to formulate historical explanations and test them using historical evidence.

Texts:

Required materials

- Revel online text and quizzes for "The United States since 1865 - HIS 315L (38445)." The access code can be purchased athttps://console.pearson.com/enrollment/ejn4q2

(Links to an external site.)

or at the UT Co-op.

- The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield, paperback book. At UT Co-op.

- Four movies, to be assigned and placed on reserve.Grading:

Assignments

Chapter quizzes

These online quizzes are in the Revel text. The deadline for each chapter is Friday at 6 pm. Extensions will be granted only for sudden documented illness or grave family emergency. Computer and network problems are not acceptable excuses. It is the responsibility of students to monitor their grades for the quizzes. The exams will add up to 40 percent of the semester grade.

Essays

Two, on topics to be assigned. 20 percent total.

Movie responses

Two, from prompts to be given. 15 percent total.

Book report

On The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield. 15 percent total.

Attendance

10 percent.

HIS 356S • Amer Pres 1789 To Present

39035 • Spring 2019
Meets MW 1:00PM-2:30PM UTC 3.124

For more than a century, the presidency has occupied the center of American politics. Yet the modern presidency bears faint resemblance to the institution the founders created in the 1780s. This course will examine the presidency and the individuals who have held it, with an eye toward discovering trends of historical and contemporary interest. Topics will include the presidency in the Constitution, the emergence of political parties, the role of the president as diplomat-in-chief, the presidency and the sectional crisis, the president at war, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the president as a celebrity, the family lives of presidents, and the president and the evolving media.

Method

An essential part of the course will be the attempt to understand what goes into presidential decisions. Successful presidents differ from unsuccessful presidents chiefly in their ability to make good decisions: to do the right thing. How does a president know what is the right thing? Whose interests and opinions does he weigh? How does he enact or enforce right decisions? Students will examine case studies of crucial presidential decisions. By close reading of primary historical documents – letters, diaries, speeches, government documents, newspaper accounts – students will reconstruct the presidential decision process. They will make the arguments for and against presidential decisions. They will explain and defend the decisions they would have made in the president’s place.Required books

George Washington, by James MacGregor Burns and Susan DunnThomas Jefferson, by Joyce ApplebyWoodrow Wilson, by H. W. BrandsHarry S. Truman, by Robert DallekRichard M. Nixon, by Elizabeth DrewCase study materialsJefferson and the Louisiana PurchaseLincoln and the Emancipation ProclamationTheodore Roosevelt and PanamaWilson and the LusitaniaTruman and the atom bombNixon and the Pentagon Papers

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

38995 • Fall 2018
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM UTC 2.112A

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required texts:

1. Revel online text, with online chapter exams.

2. The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr (paperback)

Grading:

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be two in-class essay tests, worth 15 percent together. There will be two take-home essays, worth 15 percent. There will be one book review, worth 10 percent. Class participation will be worth 20 percent.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

38870 • Spring 2018
Meets MWF 2:00PM-3:00PM UTC 2.112A

The course covers American history from the end of the Civil War to the present. The basic themes are (1) the struggle to define the boundary between the public sector and the private sector in American life, or between democracy and capitalism; and (2) the striking fact that a nation that professes to love peace has so often gone to war.

Course objectives

The course has two primary objectives: (1) to make students more familiar with the major events and developments of American history since the Civil War, and (2) to help students learn to think like historians: that is, to imagine how the world looked to people in the past, to try to understand why they did what they did, to formulate historical explanations and test them using historical evidence.

Texts:

Required materials

- Revel online text and quizzes for "The United States since 1865 - HIS 315L (38445)." The access code can be purchased athttps://console.pearson.com/enrollment/ejn4q2

(Links to an external site.)

or at the UT Co-op.

- The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield, paperback book. At UT Co-op.

- Four movies, to be assigned and placed on reserve.

Grading:

Assignments

Chapter quizzes

These online quizzes are in the Revel text. The deadline for each chapter is Friday at 6 pm. Extensions will be granted only for sudden documented illness or grave family emergency. Computer and network problems are not acceptable excuses. It is the responsibility of students to monitor their grades for the quizzes. The exams will add up to 40 percent of the semester grade.

Essays

Two, on topics to be assigned. 20 percent total.

Movie responses

Two, from prompts to be given. 15 percent total.

Book report

On The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield. 15 percent total.

HIS 381 • Adv Wrt Wrkshp: Hist Grt Hits

The goal of the workshop is to enhance the writing skills of the participants, who will (1) read and discuss the works of great authors of history and (2) develop their own writing projects.

The weekly meetings will consist of discussions of the readings, and presentations by participants of their work. In the first two weeks, each student will devise a writing agenda for the semester, to be approved by the instructor. The finished product will be due on the last day of the class.

Grades will be based on participation in the seminars and on the final products.

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

39275 • Fall 2017
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM UTC 2.112A

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required texts:

1. Revel online text, with online chapter exams.

2. The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr (paperback)

Grading:

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be two in-class essay tests, worth 15 percent together. There will be two take-home essays, worth 15 percent. There will be one book review, worth 10 percent. Class participation will be worth 20 percent.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

39265 • Spring 2017
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM BUR 106

The course covers American history from the end of the Civil War to the present. The basic themes are (1) the struggle to define the boundary between the public sector and the private sector in American life, or between democracy and capitalism; and (2) the striking fact that a nation that professes to love peace has so often gone to war.

Course objectives

The course has two primary objectives: (1) to make students more familiar with the major events and developments of American history since the Civil War, and (2) to help students learn to think like historians: that is, to imagine how the world looked to people in the past, to try to understand why they did what they did, to formulate historical explanations and test them using historical evidence.

Texts:

Required materials

- Revel online text and quizzes for "The United States since 1865 - HIS 315L (38445)." The access code can be purchased athttps://console.pearson.com/enrollment/ejn4q2

(Links to an external site.)

or at the UT Co-op.

- The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield, paperback book. At UT Co-op.

- Four movies, to be assigned and placed on reserve.

Grading:

Assignments

Chapter quizzes

These online quizzes are in the Revel text. The deadline for each chapter is Friday at 6 pm. Extensions will be granted only for sudden documented illness or grave family emergency. Computer and network problems are not acceptable excuses. It is the responsibility of students to monitor their grades for the quizzes. The exams will add up to 40 percent of the semester grade.

Essays

Two, on topics to be assigned. 20 percent total.

Movie responses

Two, from prompts to be given. 15 percent total.

Book report

On The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield. 15 percent total.

Attendance

10 percent.

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

39045 • Fall 2016
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM BUR 106

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required texts:

1. Revel online text, with online chapter exams.

2. The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr (paperback)

Grading:

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be two in-class essay tests, worth 15 percent together. There will be two take-home essays, worth 15 percent. There will be one book review, worth 10 percent. Class participation will be worth 20 percent.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

38480 • Spring 2016
Meets MW 3:00PM-4:30PM BUR 106

The course covers American history from the end of the Civil War to the present. The basic themes are (1) the struggle to define the boundary between the public sector and the private sector in American life, or between democracy and capitalism; and (2) the striking fact that a nation that professes to love peace has so often gone to war.

Course objectives

The course has two primary objectives: (1) to make students more familiar with the major events and developments of American history since the Civil War, and (2) to help students learn to think like historians: that is, to imagine how the world looked to people in the past, to try to understand why they did what they did, to formulate historical explanations and test them using historical evidence.

Texts:

Required materials

- Revel online text and quizzes for "The United States since 1865 - HIS 315L (38445)." The access code can be purchased athttps://console.pearson.com/enrollment/ejn4q2

(Links to an external site.)

or at the UT Co-op.

- The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield, paperback book. At UT Co-op.

- Four movies, to be assigned and placed on reserve.

Grading:

Assignments

Chapter quizzes

These online quizzes are in the Revel text. The deadline for each chapter is Friday at 6 pm. Extensions will be granted only for sudden documented illness or grave family emergency. Computer and network problems are not acceptable excuses. It is the responsibility of students to monitor their grades for the quizzes. The exams will add up to 40 percent of the semester grade.

Essays

Two, on topics to be assigned. 20 percent total.

Movie responses

Two, from prompts to be given. 15 percent total.

Book report

On The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield. 15 percent total.

HIS 381 • Advanced Writing Workshop

The goal of the workshop is to enhance the writing skills of the participants, who will (1) read and discuss the works of great authors of history and (2) develop their own writing projects.

The weekly meetings will consist of discussions of the readings, and presentations by participants of their work. In the first two weeks, each student will devise a writing agenda for the semester, to be approved by the instructor. The finished product will be due on the last day of the class.

Grading:

Grades will be based on participation in the seminars and on the final products.

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

38240 • Fall 2015
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM SAC 1.402

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Required texts:

1. Revel online text, with online chapter exams.

2. The Heartbreak of Aaron Burr (paperback)

Grading:

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be two in-class essay tests, worth 15 percent together. There will be two take-home essays, worth 15 percent. There will be one book review, worth 10 percent. Class participation will be worth 20 percent.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

38445 • Spring 2015
Meets TTH 9:30AM-11:00AM SAC 1.402

The course will cover American history from the end of the Civil War to the present.

The basic themes will be (1) the struggle to define the boundary between the public sector and the private sector in American life, or between democracy and capitalism; and (2) the striking fact that a nation that professes to love peace has so often gone to war.

Texts:

American Stories, 2nd edition, volume 2, with MyHistoryLab access. The

book-and-access package can purchased at the UT Co-op. A digital edition (which includes volumes 1 and

2 together, plus MyHistoryLab) is available at www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/new-myhistorylabwith-

pearson-etext-instant-access-0205065600.

Grading:

Chapter Exams: There will be one exam for each assigned textbook chapter. The exams will be taken

online in MyHistoryLab. The deadline for the exams is Friday at 12 noon. Extensions will be given only for

sudden documented illness or grave family emergency. Computer problems are not an acceptable excuse.

Each exam may be taken only once. It is the responsibility of students to monitor the MyHistoryLab

gradebook to see that their exam grades are being properly recorded. The exams will total to 40 percent of

the semester grade.

Blue Book Tests: Three, in class. Students will write on one essay question per test, given below. Students

may bring one note card (3 by 5 inches) to class with notes. 20 percent total.

Papers:Three, on documents provided on Canvas. Writing prompts are on Canvas also. 20 percent. The

papers will be submitted in class on the due dates.

Classroom Exercises: Periodically during the semester, students will be given writing exercises in class.

These will be graded on a pass/fail basis. They will be unannounced and there will be no makeups without

HIS 365G • Hist Of American Presidency

38850 • Spring 2015
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM WEL 2.246

For more than a century, the presidency has occupied the center of American politics. Yet the modern presidency bears faint resemblance to the institution the founders created in the 1780s. This course will examine the presidency and the individuals who have held it, with an eye toward discovering trends of historical and contemporary interest. Topics will include the presidency in the Constitution, the emergence of political parties, the role of the president as diplomat-in-chief, the presidency and the sectional crisis, the president at war, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the president as a celebrity, the family lives of presidents, and the president and the evolving media.

Method

An essential part of the course will be the attempt to understand what goes into presidential decisions. Successful presidents differ from unsuccessful presidents chiefly in their ability to make good decisions: to do the right thing. How does a president know what is the right thing? Whose interests and opinions does he weigh? How does he enact or enforce right decisions? Students will examine case studies of crucial presidential decisions. By close reading of primary historical documents – letters, diaries, speeches, government documents, newspaper accounts – students will reconstruct the presidential decision process. They will make the arguments for and against presidential decisions. They will explain and defend the decisions they would have made in the president’s place.

Required books

George Washington, by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn

Thomas Jefferson, by Joyce Appleby

Woodrow Wilson, by H. W. Brands

Harry S. Truman, by Robert Dallek

Richard M. Nixon, by Elizabeth Drew

Case study materials

Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase

Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation

Theodore Roosevelt and Panama

Wilson and the Lusitania

Truman and the atom bomb

Nixon and the Pentagon Papers

Assignments

Daily in-class writing assignments (100 words each)

Two book reviews (500 words each)

Three case studies (1000 words each)

Grading

Daily writing assignments: 25 percent

Book reviews: 25 percent

Case studies: 50 percent

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

39320 • Fall 2014
Meets MW 4:00PM-5:30PM UTC 2.112A

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be three in-class essay tests, worth 20 percent. There will be three take-home essays, worth 20 percent.There will be no comprehensive final exam.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

39710 • Spring 2014
Meets MW 3:30PM-5:00PM UTC 2.112A

The course will cover all aspects of American history since the end of the Civil War. Topics will include industrialization, populism and progressivism, imperialism, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, feminism, the gay rights movement, the Great Society, the Vietnam War, the Reagan Revolution, the end of the Cold War, the war on terror and the Great Recession.

T C 357 • 1960s: At Home And Abroad

43805 • Spring 2014
Meets M 12:00PM-3:00PM CRD 007A

The 1960s were an eventful decade for America. The civil rights revolution, the Great Society, the counterculture, feminism, and the realignment of political parties transformed American life at home. The Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Six Day War in the Middle East, the Cultural Revolution in China, and student revolts in dozens of countries reshaped the landscape of American foreign affairs. Students in this course will study the decade in general and one topic in detail. While reading and discussing a common set of books, they will choose research topics that can be investigated at one or more of the archives on campus. Each student will produce an original paper of publishable quality.

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

39630 • Fall 2013
Meets TTH 9:30AM-11:00AM UTC 2.112A

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

There will be fifteen chapter exams, taken online, worth a total of 40 percent of the semester grade. There will be three in-class essay tests, worth 20 percent. There will be three take-home essays, worth 20 percent.There will be no comprehensive final exam.

A = 90 to 100. B = 80 to 89. C = 70 to 79. D = 60 to 69. F = 0 to 59.

HIS 381 • Adv Wrt Wrkshp: Hist Grt Hits

The goal of the workshop (reading seminar) is to enhance the writing skills of the participants, who will (1) read and discuss the works of great authors of history and (2) develop their own writing projects.

The weekly meetings will consist of discussions of the readings, and presentations by participants of their work. In the first two weeks, each student will devise a writing agenda for the semester, to be approved by the instructor. The finished product will be due on the last day of the class.

Grading:

Grades will be based on participation in the seminars and on the final products.

HIS 315L • The United States Since 1865

39350 • Spring 2013
Meets MW 3:30PM-5:00PM UTC 2.112A

The course will cover all aspects of American history since the end of the Civil War. Topics will include industrialization, populism and progressivism, imperialism, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, feminism, the gay rights movement, the Great Society, the Vietnam War, the Reagan Revolution, the end of the Cold War, the war on terror and the Great Recession.

HIS 376F • The Us And Second World War

39745 • Spring 2013
Meets MW 9:30AM-11:00AM GAR 0.132

This course fulfills part of the requirements for the Normandy Scholars Program as well as part of the American history requirement for the University. It explores American involvement in the Second World War. Among the topics covered are: American isolationism; the controversy over Pearl Harbor and American entry into the war; the rise of air power and strategic bombing; the conduct of war and diplomacy; everyday life and politics on the home front; the experience of battle; the use of the atomic bomb; the seeds of the Cold War; and conflicting visions of the postwar world.

No course can be encyclopedic. This one will divide its time between events in Europe and the Pacific without trying to cover either theater in all its detail. Two events, one in each theater, will serve as case studies for in-depth analysis: 1) the D-Day invasion and the opening of the “Second Front” in Europe; and 2) the atomic bombs and the surrender of Japan in the Pacific.

Class work consists of lectures and discussions of weekly reading assignments, lectures, and films. Discussions constitute 20 percent of the course grade. Five in-class quizzes based on lectures and readings make up another 20 percent of the grade. A research paper, done in three stages, serves as the written portion of the workload and is worth 50 percent of the course grade. Each student will also present his or her work orally. The oral presentation is worth 10 percent of the grade.

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

39165 • Fall 2012
Meets MW 3:30PM-5:00PM WCH 1.120

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Tests: There will be three tests, each worth one sixth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one third of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be three papers of 500 words each, and each worth one sixth of the semester grade. Each paper will analyze one of the assigned documents, placing it in historical context and assessing its argument or description.

HIS 350R • History Of The Amer Presidency

39445 • Fall 2012
Meets M 6:00PM-9:00PM GAR 2.128

For more than a century, the presidency has occupied the center of American politics. Yet the modern presidency bears faint resemblance to the institution the Founders framed in the 1780s. This course will examine the presidency and the individuals who have held it, with an eye toward discovering trends of historical and contemporary interest. Topics will include the presidency as conceived by the framers of the Constitution, the emergence of political parties, the role of the president as diplomat-in-chief, the presidency and the sectional crisis, the president at war, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the president as a celebrity, the family lives of presidents, and the president and the evolving media.

Readings:

H. W. Brands, A Brief History of the Presidency (in progress)

Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power

David McCullough, John Adams

Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg

John Milton Cooper, The Warrior and the Priest

Robert A. Divine, Roosevelt and World War II

Ronald Reagan, The Reagan Diaries

Assignments:

Students will write two book reviews (500 words each) and one research paper (5000 words). The reviews will cover books from the common reading list. The paper will examine one president in detail.

HIS 333M • Us Foreign Relatns, 1914-Pres

39305 • Spring 2012
Meets M 3:00PM-6:00PM GAR 0.102

The course will cover the history of American foreign relations from the early twentieth century to the present. It will focus on a single question: Why has America gone to war?

Texts

Woodrow Wilson, by H. W. Brands

The Specter of Communism, by Melvyn P. Leffler

The Vietnam War, by Mark Atwood Lawrence

The Commanders, by Bob Woodward

The Limits of Power, by Andrew J. Bacevich

Quizzes: Five short quizzes on the books. 5 points eachDocument summaries: Five 250-word summaries of five documents, identifying the main points and setting in historicalcontext. 5 points eachPaper: A 1000-word essay answering the question "Why has America gone to war?" 50 points

HIS 381 • Adv Wrt Wrkshp: Hist Grt Hits

The goal of the workshop is to enhance the writing skills of the participants, who will (1) read and discuss the works of great authors of history and (2) develop their own writing projects.

The weekly meetings will consist of discussions of the readings, and presentations by participants of their work. In the first two weeks, each student will devise a writing agenda for the semester, to be approved by the instructor. The finished product will be due on the last day of the class.

Grades will be based on participation in the seminars and on the final products.

Schedule (all readings can be found on the Blackboard site for the course):

Week 1: Introduction

Week 2: Herodotus

Week 3: Tacitus

Week 4: Caesar

Week 5: Plutarch

Week 6: Cellini

Week 7: Shakespeare

Week 8: Gibbon

Week 9: Franklin

Week 10: Carlyle, Dickens

Week 11: Parkman

Week 12: Tolstoy

Week 13: Strachey

Week 14: Adams

Week 15: Summaries

HIS 315K • The United States, 1492-1865

39130 • Fall 2011
Meets MW 3:30PM-5:00PM WCH 1.120

The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Tests: There will be three tests, each worth one sixth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one third of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be three papers of 500 words each, and each worth one sixth of the semester grade. Each paper will analyze one of the assigned documents, placing it in historical context and assessing its argument or description.

T C 357 • The Sixties At Home And Abroad

42930 • Fall 2011
Meets W 12:00PM-3:00PM CRD 007A

The 1960s weren’t as big a deal at the time as they have often seemed afterward. But they were eventful nonetheless. The civil rights revolution, the Great Society, the counterculture, and the emergence of new media transformed American life at home. The Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Six Day War in the Middle East, the Cultural Revolution in China, and student revolts in dozens of countries reshaped the landscape of international affairs. Luckily for students at the University of Texas, there are few better places to study the 1960s than Austin. The LBJ Library, the Center for American History, and the Harry Ransom Center house documents and other materials that shed primary light on the decade and allow scholars to engage its issues as directly as historians ever can. Students in this class will become their own historians.

After reading and discussing a common set of books, the students will choose research topics that can be investigated at one or more of the archives on campus. Each student’s research will culminate in an original paper of between 6,000 and 8,000 words, and of potentially publishable quality. Besides attuning students to the issues and events of the 1960s, the course will allow students to decide whether they like doing original historical research. For some students, the research project will lead naturally into a senior thesis; for some of these and perhaps for some others, it will inspire them to do graduate work in history.

For all the students, the course will enable them to discover—through their own experience—how the past is recreated by and for the present.

Readings

Terry Anderson, The Sixties George Herring, America’s Longest War Paul Conkin, Big Daddy from the Pedernales

Requirements

Reviews of two of the three books:Proposal, outline, introduction, half draft, full draft, final version of a major research paper

About the Professor

H. W. Brands writes about and teaches American history, broadly conceived. His books and articles cover topics from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first, and include works of narrative history, interpretive history, and biography. He examines politics and foreign policy, business and economics, society and culture. He is currently writing a general history of the United States during the Gilded Age. His classes include introductory surveys, upper-division lecture courses, and undergraduate and graduate seminars. His graduate students have written dissertations and theses on diverse aspects of American politics and foreign policy. His former students have taken jobs at research universities, at liberal arts and community colleges, in government and non-profit agencies, and in private business.

HIS 333M • Us Foreign Relatns, 1914-Pres

39570 • Spring 2011
Meets W 3:00PM-6:00PM WCH 1.120

This course introduces the history of American foreign relations from the First World War to the present. During this period, the United States fully joined the ranks of the great powers and then, following a period of hesitation, surpassed all its rivals in exercising influence around the world. We will explore the course and causes of this rise to power and seek to understand current dilemmas and debates within their historical context.

The class aims for both breadth and depth. Some lectures and readings are aimed at providing a wide view of the political, economic, and ideological currents that fed into the making of foreign policy. Other lectures and readings focus on particular topics – the debate over the League of Nations, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam War, the American interventions in Central America during the 1980s, and the American response to the September 11 attacks, among others.

Texts:

Emily Rosenberg, Spreading the American Dream;

James Mann, Rise of the Vulcans;

Melvin Leffler, The Specter of Communism;

Mark Danner, Massacre at El Mozote;

Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, Fail-Safe.

Grading:

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a midterm (30 percent of term grade), paper (30 percent), and final (40 percent).

HIS 381 • Adv Wrt Wrkshp: Hist Grt Hits

A workshop for graduate students devoted to the craft of writing history in both nonfiction and fictional form. Students will read selections from some of the greatest writers of history (Herodotus, Plutarch, Gibbon, Carlyle, Parkman, Dickens, Tolstoy, Strachey, and many others), and will assess what makes for compelling historical writing. Students will meanwhile develop writing projects of their own. Some students will bring drafts to the workshop and polish these. Other students will commence drafts during the semester. All will present their works-in-progress to the seminar, with the ultimate goal of writing history in the most riveting manner possible.

Tests:Three, worth 20 percent of the course grade each. Identifications and short essays. There will be no final exam.

Papers:Two, 20 percent each.

1. A 750-word analysis of one of the documents assigned for the course. Identify the key points of the document, place it in historical context, assess its accuracy and importance.

2. A 750-word essay explaining either (a) how democracy and capitalism have cooperated and conflicted in American history since 1865, or (b) how and why America has gone to war and what it has accomplished in doing so. In either case cite specific examples to support general statements and evaluations.

Academic accommodations: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

HIS 350R • America At War

39310 • Fall 2010
Meets M 5:00PM-8:00PM CBA 4.340

“Why is there war?” ~ There is a fundamental paradox in American history: that a nation that considers itself peace-loving has gone to war more often than any other nation during the last two centuries. The course will examine why and how America has gone to war and whether America’s wars have accomplished what Americans expected. ~ Students will investigate all major wars from the Revolutionary War to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They will comment on the readings orally and in writing and will research one war in depth, producing an original paper answering the question, for the conflict of their choice, “Why is there war?”

39740 • Spring 2010
Meets MW 3:30PM-5:00PM BUR 112

Summary:The course will cover all aspects of American history from the end of Reconstruction to the end of World War I. The basic themes of the course will be the ongoing contest between capitalism and democracy, and the emergence of the United States as a world power.

Tests:There will be two tests, each worth one fifth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one half of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers:There will be two papers of 1000 words each, in which students will elaborate on a topic or theme from one of the assigned books. The papers will require additional research, and will include bibliographies. Each paper will be worth one fifth of the semester grade.

Class participation: Attendance, preparation, and contribution to discussion are essential, and will count one fifth of the semester grade.

Academic accommodations:The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

HIS 381 • Adv Wrt Wrkshp: Hist Grt Hits

39905 • Spring 2010
Meets M 6:00PM-9:00PM GAR 1.122

This course examines the way in which racial bias, in both American policy and politics, has impacted the relationship between African Americans and the justice system from the convict lease era in slavery's aftermath to the crisis of mass incarceration and the age of Black Lives Matter.

We will pay particular attention to the impact of federal anti-crime policy on sentencing, mandatory minimums, DOJ Byrne Grants, the militarization of local law enforcement agencies, the drug war, juvenile justice, and prisoner rehabilitation and rights since The Great Society.

Students will be evaluated based on three criteria: 1) Weekly three paragraph critical analysis of the readings. 2)Final 20 page critical historical and policy analysis on a specific aspect of criminal justice reform (e.g. ending money bail system for criminal defendants charged with low level warrants) 3) Class participation, including group presentation.

Summary: The course will cover all aspects of American history to the end of the Civil War. The basic themes of the course will be the emergence of an American identity, the evolution of American self-government, and the expansion of American territory.

Tests: There will be three tests, each worth one sixth of the semester grade and consisting of identifications and short essays. Each test will cover one third of the course material. There will be no comprehensive final exam.

Papers: There will be three papers of 500 words each, and each worth one sixth of the semester grade. Each paper will analyze one of the assigned documents, placing it in historical context and assessing its argument or description.

Supplemental Instruction: This class will include Supplemental Instruction discussion sections (SI). These optional sessions, led by Rachel Hermann, will help reinforce and clarify course content. Regular participation in SI discussions has been shown to improve students' performance significantly.

Academic accommodations: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

43835 • Fall 2009
Meets W 12:00PM-3:00PM CRD 007B

The 1960s weren’t quite as big a deal at the time as they have often seemed afterward, but they were eventful nonetheless. The civil rights revolution, the Great Society, the counterculture, and the emergence of new media transformed American life at home. The Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Six Day War in the Middle East, the Cultural Revolution in China, and student revolts in dozens of countries reshaped the landscape of international affairs. Luckily for students at the University of Texas, there are few better places to study the 1960s than Austin. The LBJ Library, the Briscoe Center for American History, and the Harry Ransom Center house documents and other materials that shed primary light on the decade and allow scholars to engage its issues as directly as historians ever can. Students in this course will become their own historians. While reading and discussing a common set of books, the students will choose research topics that can be investigated at one or more of the archives on campus. Each student’s research will culminate in an original paper of about 5000 words and of potentially publishable quality. Besides attuning students to the issues and events of the 1960s, the course will allow students to decide whether they like doing original historical research. For some students, the research project will lead naturally into a senior thesis; for some of these and perhaps for some others, it will inspire them to do graduate work in history. For all the students, the course will enable them to discover—through their own experience—how the past is recreated by and for the present.

Academic accommodations: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-6441 TTY.

HIS 333M • Us Foreign Relatns, 1914-Pres

40185 • Fall 2008
Meets M 3:00PM-6:00PM WEL 2.308

This course introduces the history of American foreign relations from the First World War to the present. During this period, the United States fully joined the ranks of the great powers and then, following a period of hesitation, surpassed all its rivals in exercising influence around the world. We will explore the course and causes of this rise to power and seek to understand current dilemmas and debates within their historical context.

The class aims for both breadth and depth. Some lectures and readings are aimed at providing a wide view of the political, economic, and ideological currents that fed into the making of foreign policy. Other lectures and readings focus on particular topics – the debate over the League of Nations, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam War, the American interventions in Central America during the 1980s, and the American response to the September 11 attacks, among others.

Texts:

Emily Rosenberg, Spreading the American Dream;

James Mann, Rise of the Vulcans;

Melvin Leffler, The Specter of Communism;

Mark Danner, Massacre at El Mozote;

Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, Fail-Safe.

Grading:

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a midterm (30 percent of term grade), paper (30 percent), and final (40 percent).

HIS 381 • Seminar In Writing

40535 • Fall 2008
Meets M 6:00PM-9:00PM GAR 2.134

This course examines the way in which racial bias, in both American policy and politics, has impacted the relationship between African Americans and the justice system from the convict lease era in slavery's aftermath to the crisis of mass incarceration and the age of Black Lives Matter.

We will pay particular attention to the impact of federal anti-crime policy on sentencing, mandatory minimums, DOJ Byrne Grants, the militarization of local law enforcement agencies, the drug war, juvenile justice, and prisoner rehabilitation and rights since The Great Society.

Students will be evaluated based on three criteria: 1) Weekly three paragraph critical analysis of the readings. 2)Final 20 page critical historical and policy analysis on a specific aspect of criminal justice reform (e.g. ending money bail system for criminal defendants charged with low level warrants) 3) Class participation, including group presentation.

Reading: We will read one book or article per week.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of the graduate adviser.

May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

HIS 381 • Advanced Writing Workshop

40400 • Spring 2008
Meets W 1:00PM-4:00PM GAR 1.122

This course examines the way in which racial bias, in both American policy and politics, has impacted the relationship between African Americans and the justice system from the convict lease era in slavery's aftermath to the crisis of mass incarceration and the age of Black Lives Matter.

We will pay particular attention to the impact of federal anti-crime policy on sentencing, mandatory minimums, DOJ Byrne Grants, the militarization of local law enforcement agencies, the drug war, juvenile justice, and prisoner rehabilitation and rights since The Great Society.

Students will be evaluated based on three criteria: 1) Weekly three paragraph critical analysis of the readings. 2)Final 20 page critical historical and policy analysis on a specific aspect of criminal justice reform (e.g. ending money bail system for criminal defendants charged with low level warrants) 3) Class participation, including group presentation.

HIS 389 • Us Diplomatic History

41270 • Fall 2007
Meets T 1:00PM-4:00PM BUR 234

HIS 333M • Us Foreign Relatns, 1914-Pres

39560 • Spring 2007
Meets T 4:00PM-7:00PM WAG 214

This course introduces the history of American foreign relations from the First World War to the present. During this period, the United States fully joined the ranks of the great powers and then, following a period of hesitation, surpassed all its rivals in exercising influence around the world. We will explore the course and causes of this rise to power and seek to understand current dilemmas and debates within their historical context.

The class aims for both breadth and depth. Some lectures and readings are aimed at providing a wide view of the political, economic, and ideological currents that fed into the making of foreign policy. Other lectures and readings focus on particular topics – the debate over the League of Nations, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam War, the American interventions in Central America during the 1980s, and the American response to the September 11 attacks, among others.

Texts:

Emily Rosenberg, Spreading the American Dream;

James Mann, Rise of the Vulcans;

Melvin Leffler, The Specter of Communism;

Mark Danner, Massacre at El Mozote;

Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, Fail-Safe.

Grading:

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a midterm (30 percent of term grade), paper (30 percent), and final (40 percent).

HIS 381 • Advanced Writing Workshop

39915 • Spring 2007
Meets T 11:00AM-2:00PM BUR 554

This course examines the way in which racial bias, in both American policy and politics, has impacted the relationship between African Americans and the justice system from the convict lease era in slavery's aftermath to the crisis of mass incarceration and the age of Black Lives Matter.

We will pay particular attention to the impact of federal anti-crime policy on sentencing, mandatory minimums, DOJ Byrne Grants, the militarization of local law enforcement agencies, the drug war, juvenile justice, and prisoner rehabilitation and rights since The Great Society.

Students will be evaluated based on three criteria: 1) Weekly three paragraph critical analysis of the readings. 2)Final 20 page critical historical and policy analysis on a specific aspect of criminal justice reform (e.g. ending money bail system for criminal defendants charged with low level warrants) 3) Class participation, including group presentation.

HIS 333M • Diplomat Hist Of Us Since 1890

38715 • Spring 2006
Meets TTH 8:00AM-9:30AM GEO 2.216

This course introduces the history of American foreign relations from the First World War to the present. During this period, the United States fully joined the ranks of the great powers and then, following a period of hesitation, surpassed all its rivals in exercising influence around the world. We will explore the course and causes of this rise to power and seek to understand current dilemmas and debates within their historical context.

The class aims for both breadth and depth. Some lectures and readings are aimed at providing a wide view of the political, economic, and ideological currents that fed into the making of foreign policy. Other lectures and readings focus on particular topics – the debate over the League of Nations, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam War, the American interventions in Central America during the 1980s, and the American response to the September 11 attacks, among others.

Texts:

Emily Rosenberg, Spreading the American Dream;

James Mann, Rise of the Vulcans;

Melvin Leffler, The Specter of Communism;

Mark Danner, Massacre at El Mozote;

Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, Fail-Safe.

Grading:

Students will be evaluated on the basis of a midterm (30 percent of term grade), paper (30 percent), and final (40 percent).

HIS 381 • Advanced Writing Workshop

39085 • Spring 2006
Meets T 3:30PM-6:30PM MEZ 1.122

This course examines the way in which racial bias, in both American policy and politics, has impacted the relationship between African Americans and the justice system from the convict lease era in slavery's aftermath to the crisis of mass incarceration and the age of Black Lives Matter.

We will pay particular attention to the impact of federal anti-crime policy on sentencing, mandatory minimums, DOJ Byrne Grants, the militarization of local law enforcement agencies, the drug war, juvenile justice, and prisoner rehabilitation and rights since The Great Society.

Students will be evaluated based on three criteria: 1) Weekly three paragraph critical analysis of the readings. 2)Final 20 page critical historical and policy analysis on a specific aspect of criminal justice reform (e.g. ending money bail system for criminal defendants charged with low level warrants) 3) Class participation, including group presentation.